1. Advancement of Music in Movies
Music in movies started out as a piano accompanying the movie as it played on the screen. The pianist would have to intently watch the movie so he could appropriately change the mood of the piece he was playing to match the mood of the movie. Sad scenes needed sad music, happy scenes needed happy music. This video is of Alice In Wonderland, made in 1915. It has an accompaniment by a piano and some other instruments. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx1_bSwa6AI&feature=related
Now a days, music in movies is synchronized with the film. This means that the music and the film play at the same time, at the same rate. A film score can be written to accompany a movie. In this case, "spotting" is used. "Spotting" is when a composer watches an unfinished film and talks to the director about what kind of music they would like, such as themes and styles. Most movies have between 40 and 120 minutes of music throughout the film. Others have little to no music and some have music that continuously plays. Some people choose to use "source music", which is music that comes from a source that can be seen in the film, like a radio or television. After the score has been written, the orchestra performs it and it is recorded to be used in the film. This is the final scene of Jaws. It shows a great orchestral piece and how it was synchronized with the movie. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU1imWEByHE
2. How Music Affects Mood
Music can affect the mood of a scene in a movie. It can create intensity, or saddness, or joy.
Here is the Sherlock Holmes trailer. The music makes the whole thing very dramatic and adds to the mood of the movie. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUQbmFAE5WI
Here is the trailer for My Sister's Keeper. It is a drama about life and death, so the music used is different from Sherlock Holmes because it's conveying a different mood. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17sIyLOm0Xc
5. Most Popular Soundtracks - Survey
I asked students in school to give me a popular soundtrack that they thought everyone would know. This is what they came up with. They are in no particular order.
1. Star Wars
2. Harry Potter
3. Rocky
4. The Hannah Montana Movie
5. Indiana Jones
6. Across the Universe
7. Slumdog Millionaire
8. 500 Days of Summer
9. Phantom of the Opera
10. Mama Mia
11. Pirates of the Caribbean
6. Soundtracks That Won Acadamy Awards
I found the winners of the Best Original Score from 2000 to 2008. Here they are. I searched everywhere for 2009 but i couldn't find it.
2000: Wo hu cang long (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) - Tan Dun
2001: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Howard Shore
2002: Friday - Elliot Goldenthal
2003: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - Howard Shore
2004: Finding Neverland - Jan A.P. Kaczmarek
2005: Brokeback Mountain - Gustavo Santaolalla
2006: Babel - Gustavo Santaolalla
2007: Atonement - Dario Marianelli
2008: Slumdog Millionaire - A. R. Rahman
Movie Music
1. Advancement of Music in Movies
Music in movies started out as a piano accompanying the movie as it played on the screen. The pianist would have to intently watch the movie so he could appropriately change the mood of the piece he was playing to match the mood of the movie. Sad scenes needed sad music, happy scenes needed happy music. This video is of Alice In Wonderland, made in 1915. It has an accompaniment by a piano and some other instruments. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx1_bSwa6AI&feature=related
Now a days, music in movies is synchronized with the film. This means that the music and the film play at the same time, at the same rate. A film score can be written to accompany a movie. In this case, "spotting" is used. "Spotting" is when a composer watches an unfinished film and talks to the director about what kind of music they would like, such as themes and styles. Most movies have between 40 and 120 minutes of music throughout the film. Others have little to no music and some have music that continuously plays. Some people choose to use "source music", which is music that comes from a source that can be seen in the film, like a radio or television. After the score has been written, the orchestra performs it and it is recorded to be used in the film. This is the final scene of Jaws. It shows a great orchestral piece and how it was synchronized with the movie. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU1imWEByHE
2. How Music Affects Mood
Music can affect the mood of a scene in a movie. It can create intensity, or saddness, or joy.
Here is the Sherlock Holmes trailer. The music makes the whole thing very dramatic and adds to the mood of the movie. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUQbmFAE5WI
Here is the trailer for My Sister's Keeper. It is a drama about life and death, so the music used is different from Sherlock Holmes because it's conveying a different mood. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17sIyLOm0Xc
3. Artists Becoming More Popular Through Movies
http://beccanoal.glogster.com/artists-from-movies/
4. Soundtrack vs. Score
http://beccanoal.glogster.com/soundtrack-vs-score/
5. Most Popular Soundtracks - Survey
I asked students in school to give me a popular soundtrack that they thought everyone would know. This is what they came up with. They are in no particular order.
1. Star Wars
2. Harry Potter
3. Rocky
4. The Hannah Montana Movie
5. Indiana Jones
6. Across the Universe
7. Slumdog Millionaire
8. 500 Days of Summer
9. Phantom of the Opera
10. Mama Mia
11. Pirates of the Caribbean
6. Soundtracks That Won Acadamy Awards
I found the winners of the Best Original Score from 2000 to 2008. Here they are. I searched everywhere for 2009 but i couldn't find it.
2000: Wo hu cang long (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) - Tan Dun
2001: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Howard Shore
2002: Friday - Elliot Goldenthal
2003: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - Howard Shore
2004: Finding Neverland - Jan A.P. Kaczmarek
2005: Brokeback Mountain - Gustavo Santaolalla
2006: Babel - Gustavo Santaolalla
2007: Atonement - Dario Marianelli
2008: Slumdog Millionaire - A. R. Rahman